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The Arts and Literature

This section is included to briefly highlight the response of the arts and literature to the period of the conflict in the region, and to provide links to relevant materials on CAIN.

Architecture
The conflict had a direct impact on the architecture associated with police stations, security bases, and border posts, which were heavily fortified against paramilitary attack and became a prominent feature of both the urban and rural landscapes. Some aspects of town planning were also affected by the conflict with the 'peace lines' between residental areas and security gates around town centres being the most obvious examples. The design of business premises also had to respond to the conflict.

Music
One cultural reflection of the conflict occurred in music. The most immediate impact was the increase in the number of Republican and Loyalists songs written about various events or aspects of the conflict. Of course songs from earlier periods of conflict continued to be sung or played alongside the newly written material. More mainstream rock and pop musicans and bands also wrote material based on 'the Troubles'.

Painting, Drawing, Graphic Arts
The confict has provided subject material for many artists based in Northern Ireland (see for example: Kelly, and Forker). In addition to traditional art, the use of street murals in many working-class Catholic and Protestant areas increased greatly over the period 1980 to 2000. Political cartoons which deal with the conflict have also been a feature of life in the region. Political posters have also played an important part in the history of the conflict.

Photography
As an art form still photography has used the conflict as a source of subject material. In addition photography has played an important part in recording the conflict with Pacemaker International Ltd being perhaps the best know photographic press agency to emerge during the course of the conflict. Motion picture photography has also responded to the conflict and a number of commercial films have used 'the Troubles' as their subject matter. In addition to the important part played by television in reporting the conflict, television has also been the subject of political control at a number of stages during the past 30 years. [See also photographs]

Plays
As in the case of novels, a number of authors have based their plays on the conflict. See 'Television drama and the Troubles', from Screening Ireland: Film and Television Representation, by Lance Pettitt (2000).
[CAIN had hoped to produce a list of plays (similar to the list of commercial films) about 'the Troubles' but this did not prove possible. However, there is a searchable database of Irish plays, including ones that deal with the conflict, at the PLAYOGRAPHYIreland Web site {external_site}.]